Sloppy Joes
08Parenting a 3 year old is hard work. Sometimes it takes every ounce in your being not to completely flip out, and other times it takes every ounce in your being not to laugh hysterically at their ridiculous antics. How else can you get through things like your kid blowing a full blown tantrum when you ask them to do something simple like put on a pair of socks? Or when they’re crying I WANT TO BRUSH MY TEETH. And you say, “Let’s go brush your teeth” and they reply NOOO! Toddler logic, man.
A while back, I made sloppy joes for dinner. Like he always does when he gets home from school, Zachary asked, “What’s for dinner, mom?” and I told him. Let me preface this by saying that although this was literally the first time I’d made sloppy joes, I knew he’d eaten them before at school and at other houses several times and really liked them, usually eating multiple servings. But this time, he said, “I don’t LIKE sloppy joes!” Even he knew this was a lie, so soon enough he changed his story to, “I CAN’T eat sloppy joes” to which I asked, “Why?” The answer? “Because I’ll put too much sloppy joe on my spoon and then when I put it in my mouth I’ll choke.” I told him this could easily be remedied by, you know, not putting too much on his spoon (don’t ask me why he eats sloppy joes with a spoon instead of his hands). I read in Nurture Shock that kids who lie are like really brilliant or something, so I’m pretty sure my kid should be in Mensa.
At any rate, I wasn’t a really big fan of the first recipe I used for sloppy joes on that fateful evening, so I decided to seek another one out this time around. I was much happier with the results of this recipe, and as a bonus, it’s healthier. A can of beans is added to the mixture, which is a great way to add some fiber and boost the number of servings more cheaply. There are no refined sugars and the jalapeño gives it just a little kick (though I did prefer adding a little hot sauce to my portion). And of course, Zachary ate it and liked it.
Sloppy Joes
Adapted from Ellie Krieger
1 tsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14 oz.) can small red beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 hamburger buns
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Stir in the onion and cook for 2 minutes before breaking in the ground beef. Continue to cook until beef is browned; drain fat if necessary. Stir in the jalapeño, bell pepper, and garlic and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir into the mixture and cook for 1 minutes.
Add the beans, tomato sauce, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low for 5-10 minutes. Serve on buns.
It really is hysterical how kids go from liking something one day to vehemently HATING it the next! But only in retrospect. 🙂
I kind of love the addition of beans to sloppy joes. And toddler logic. I love that too.
Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of drama over some sloppy joes! I love Ellie Krieger’s recipe and your adaptations look great. So glad they worked out for everyone 🙂
Oh you are a wonderwoman for dealing with toddler logic! I love this sloppy joe recipe, it’s one of my favorites. Thank goodness that Elena doesn’t talk yet, I’m not ready to deal with the drama of it all. More power to ya mama!!
Adding the beans to sloppy joes amps up there nutritional factor.
Back in my bachelor day’s, I would make “Sloppy Scopes”. I would start by adding salsa, and then whatever condiments in the fridge were starting to age. French dressing, Ketchup. Mustard. BBQ sauce. Pickle relish. Whatever was in there and would sort of go. (aka – NO MAYO)
Always turned out pretty good, and was a good way to get rid of those half full bottles of stuff.
Oh lord!! I thought it was supposed to get easier as they get older! 🙂 Elliott recently flipped out when I wouldn’t let him eat the Target ad. Oh the life of a one-year old. I have a Sloppy Joe recipe I love, but I just might have to keep this one in my back pocket as it looks unique and delicious!
LOL! Zachary made me laugh. Thank you and you have a great site!